Body supporting garment



June 8- E. A. HENDRICKS 2,

BODY SUPPORTING GARMENT Filed Sept. 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l v JVVENTOE, E1. \SIE/LHENDBICKS ATToENEYJ June 1948. i1 E KS 2,442,894

BODY SUPPORTING GARMENT Filed Sept. 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 fivvEA/Toe EZ S/EA. fiszvae/cms- A TTOE'NE Y5 am 8, 1948.1 E. A. HENDRICKS 2,442,894

BODY suPPoRTine GARMENT Filed Sept. 26, 1946 /Nl/EN7'OE fis/E A. HENDRICKS ATTOENE Ys June 8', 1948. E. A. .HENDRicKs BODY SUPPORTING GARMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 26, 1946 Ava/smog 52515 A HENDEICKS ATTQRNEKS Patented June 8, 1948 BODY SUPPORTING GARMENT Elsie A. Hendricks, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Munsingwear, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Application September 26, 1946, Serial No. 699,414

6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in body supporting garments such as commonly known to the trade as girdles, panty girdles, or combination garments of this general type.

Body supporting garments such as girdles, panty girdles, and the like, are usually constructed, at least partially, of elastic fabrics, certain sections of the garment being stretchable in a vertical direction only, while other sections may be stretchable both vertically and horizon tally. Other such garments may also embody certain sections or panels which are non-elastic, depending upon the particular function of the garment.

Most such garments are designed to provide a support for the abdomen and to constrict or confine the posterior regions of the wearers body to improve and enhance the general appearance thereof. In most such garments the front and rear panels are usually constructed of a material which is elastic or stretchable at least in a vertical direction to permit the front and rear portions of the garment to expand or contract and thereby to allow for stooping and bending positions of the wearers body without causing the waistline of the garment to be displaced upon the wearers body as a result of the downward pull exerted thereon during various body movements. The side sections may be constructed of material such as is commonly known in the trade as leno, which provides a very firm and durable fabric which may be stretchable in one or more directions, and is well adapted for use in body supporting garments of this general ype- One objectionable feature to garments of this type as now manufactured and distributed to the trade, resides in the construction of the front panel of the garment which is usually made of a fabric which is stretchable in a vertical direction to permit expansion or contraction of that portion of the garment, when the body of the wearer bends forward or stoops and then again assumes an erect position. The front panels of such well-known garments are usually cut from a single piece of fabric, or, if desired, they may be made from two or more pieces of fabric stitched together to provide a. single panel which before being embodied in the garment is usually perfectly flat. When an individual wearing such garment assumes a sitting position, the tension in the front panel in a, vertical direction obviously is released, whereupon a plurality of bulky transverse folds may occur in the front of the garment, or across the wearers lap as a result of the loosening of the fabric in the front section of the garment. When sheer outer garments are worn, such bulkiness of the foundation garment may cause the wearers dress or outer (or. 2-43) V garment to slightly protrude from the body and thereby mar the outline of the wearer's figure, which obviously is undesirable.

One of the important objects of the present invention resides in the unique construction of the front panel of a body supporting or foundation garment such as a girdle, panty girdle, or a combination garment of this general type, whereby the above referred to unsightly excess material inherent in many garments of this type now in use has been eliminated. A garment embodying the front panel construction herein disclosed, will substantially fit the wearers form at all times, regardless of whether the individual is in a standing or sitting position, and whereby unsightly bulkiness in the appearance of the wearers outer garments, caused by the folding or bunching up of the slackened front panel across the abdomen or lap, when in a sitting position is substantially, completely and entirely eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a body supporting garment of the class described, the front portion of which is so constructed that it will effect a constricting or supporting effort against the abdomen at all times without displacing the anchoring portions of the garment upon the body, and whereby the garment is rendered extremely comfortable to the wearer in all body positions.

A further object is to provide a foundation garment having a front panel constructed of a plurality of vertically stretchable sections or parts which are sewed together transversely of the body of the garment by a well known loose type of stitching whereby the front panel will fold along the rows of transverse stitching, when the wearers body assumes a sitting or stooping position, and also whereby unsightly bulkiness in the front of the garment when the wearer is in a stooping or sitting position is practically eliminated.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a foundation garment having a front panel which is constructed of four parts or sections; an upper section, two intermediate sections, and a lower section; the two intermediate sections being comparatively narrow and extending in a direction cross-wise of the body of the garment and having their adjacent edges disposed substantially in a, horizontal line and suitably stitched together by what is commonly known as fagotting, and the upper edge of the upper intermediate section being concave and similarly stitched to the lower edge of the upper section, which lower edge is made convex to correspond to the curvature of the upper edge of the adjoining intermediate section, and the lower intermediate section having its lower edge similarly concave or curved in an upward directhe garment to readily fold transversely of the wearers body along said rows of stitches, the pal ticular fashioning of the garment front panel causing any folds occurringtherein when the I wearer assumes a stooping orsittin'g position, to he comparatively small and uniform in formation, and will hug the bodyand give support to the abdomen of the wearer much more than garments of this general type as now constructed,"

thereby greatly reducing unsightly bulkiness in the front of the wearers garment. II I II II A further object is to provide a front panel construction for foundation garments of I the character herein disclosed, wherein the front panel is constructedjas if sections of the intermediate portion thereof had beencut out of the blankfrom which the front panel is formed, and the edges of saidpanel resulting from removal of said so called cut out portions being stitched together transversely of the panel along a plurality of transverse rows of stitching, whereby when the panel'is embodied in a garment, the unique construction of the intermediate portion of the panel will'lca'use the garment to more snugly hug the abdomen with a gentle constrict ing and supporting pressurewhioh is comfortable to the wearer and prevents excessive bulging of the wearer's garment across the lower portion of the abdomen or'lap, when the wearer is in a stooping or sittingposition:

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and thelaccompanyin drawings and 'will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow I a In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a viewsho'wing th'eiront of a body supporting garment of the parity girdle type embodying the invention; I I

Figure 2 is a rear view of Figure 1;

Figure} is a side view of Figure 1, showing in a more or lessYe iaggerated manner, the" effect impartedto the front panel as a result of the construction herein disclosed? I Figure 4 is a schematic View showing the sup porting action imparted to the lower portion of the abdomen by the novelly, constructed front panel of the garment herein disclosed;

Figure 5 is a view showing on an enlarged scale the four blanks and their relative positions prior to being stitched together to form' the composite front garment panel; I I I 6. is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the preferred form of stitching for securing together the sections of the front panel;

Figure '7 is a view showing theinvention embodied in a well ln'iowri girdle type foundation garment; I I I Figure 8 is a view showing the invention embodiedin'a ,full length or combination garment andbr'assiere' garment; I

I IQ. View showing my il'fiproved ga1- ment one figure disposed n a stahdirig'position;

Figure 10 is a' viewsimiiar to' Figure 9, but

showing the garment on a figure in a stooping position; I II I I Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, but showing the figure in a sitting position;

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view of the improved. garment herein disclosed illustrating the smooth fit of the garment across the wearer's lap and theuplift efi e ct to the abdomen;

Fig-ure IBfisa view showing a conventional foundation-garment on a figure disposed in a standing or erect position;

Figure 14 is a view showing the same garment on a figure in a stooping position;

Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14 showing the figure in a sitting position;

Figure l6 is'a view similar to Figure 12 showmg a coiiventional garment and the looseness usually present in the abdominal supporting portion thereof, when the wearer is in a sitting position, resulting in bulky folds at the groin use and up of'the wearer.

I I'1' th selected embodiment of the" invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated in F gures 1 y and 2, wi nesses of disclosure, a ladys undergarment of the type commonly'l rnownas a panty gir dle.' This gar'rnn'tis shown comprising the usu'al'bacli panel: which isprererabn stretchable in a vertic'n d rect on; th'e'side sections a and 4 which are preferably constructed of such material as leno which may be stretchable in both vertical and"horizontaldirections, and a front section generally designated by the numeral 5. In thie'form' of the, garment shown in' Figures 1 and 2, the rear andirbnt panels '2 and 5, respectively, and the side s'eet'i'o'ris '3 and 4, are so shaped and stitehed g toget h'if attheir lower portions as to provide leg op nings 6, a suitablecrotch piece I being embodied ih the crotch portion of the I garment to complete the formation of the leg portions H J.

An important feature ofthe present invention resides in the unique construction of the front panel 5 which is' se designed as to eliminate excess fabric accumulatingin the lap or at the groin line of ,the wearer when in a sitting or stooping position. I

I I-Iereto fore, thefront panels of such garments have usually been made from a single piece of fabric shaped to conform somewhat to the outline or contour of the panel 5, as viewed in Figure l disregarding of course, the transverse rows of stitches shown .in saidfigure, and which will subsequently be described. When the front panel of a foundation garment is constructed of a single piece of fabric, as above stated, when the wearer assumes a steeping or sitting position, thetension irithe front panel is greatly released because of its inherent construction, thereby causing an eirci-ss amount of fabric to develop across the'lowerpdrtion of the abdomen or at the groin line of the wearer which may assume the formof'ofrieor'more relatively large transverse folds. These folds extend outwardly from the wearers body, as indicated in Figure 16. whereby they may create an outward bulging of the' weai-ers dress or'outer garments, which obviously is very undesirable.

I In] the garment herein I disclosed, the front prinel 5 is so cdnstru'ctedtha't' the usual undesirable bulkine'ss which may frequently occur in the front panel or abdominal supporting portion of a conventional jgarment, when the body of the wearer'bends forwardly 9r assumes a sitting pos tijg is lm s cemple v, e na d, At t same time the garment imparts anuplift and flattening pressure to the wearer's abdomen at all times, as indicated by the arrows in Figures 4 and 12. This results in a more comfortable fitting garment and one which greatly enhances the appearance and contour of the lower portions of the wearers torso, regardless of position.

To accomplish the desirable results above mentioned, the front panel 5 is shown constructed of four sections of fabric, namely, a top section 8, intermediate sections 9 and II, and lower or leg section [2. When these sections, in blank form, are placed together on a flat surface or table in their proper relationship, as indicated in Figure 5, the general outline or contour of the thusly grouped sections may be substantially identical to the outline or contour of a conventional front panel as now constructed, wherein the entire front panel may be made from a single piece of fabric, or from two or more pieces stitched together in such a manner, however, that when the composite panel is completed, it will be in the form of a perfectly fiat blank.

Such a one-piece, fiat panel, when embodied in a foundation garment, may slacken considerably in a vertical direction, particularly in the lower abdominal region thereof, when the wearers body assumes a stooping or sitting position, which may cause the fabric of the front panel to bunch up, or form comparatively large bulky folds across the front of the wearersbody at the groin line, as indicated in Figures 15 and 16. Such bulky folds across the lower portion of the stomach and lap obviously are very undesirable and uncomfortable and may affect the fitting of the wearers outer garments on the body,

The novel sectional construction of the front panel 5 herein disclosed completely eliminates such undesirable looseness or bulkiness in the front portion of a girdle or foundation garment, and thus imparts an uplift and flattening pressure against the wearer's abdomen in all body positions.

To construct the front panel of the garment herein disclosed, the four sections 8, 9, H and I2 thereof, have their contiguous edges stitched together to complete the formation of the panel whereby the resultant panel will have the general outline or contour of a conventional panel, but, as distinguished from a conventional fiat panel, the abdominal supporting area of the panel is reduced in a vertical direction in such a manner that when the panel is completed and is embodied in a garment as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the center portion of the front panel, in a vertical direction, will be contracted as best shown in Figure 3, which will cause the front panel, when the garment is fitted onto a wearers body, to impart a relatively greater constricting force or uplift to the abdomen or stomach, as indicated by the arrows in Figures 4 and 12. In these figures it will also be noted that the panel closely hugs the lower portion of the abdomen as a result of the increased tension in the center portion thereof, whereby the garment will impart an uplift and flattening pressure to the abdomen or stomach at all times.

By reference to Figure 5, it will be noted that the lower edge l3 of the upper section B of the front panel 5, is slightly convex or downwardly curved. The upper edge M of the inter-mediate section 9, is concave or downwardly curved but on a relatively smaller arc than the arc of the bottom edge l3 of the upper panel section 8, whereby a comparatively wide gap results between the edges [3 and M at the center of the panel, while the outer contiguous corners of the panels 8 and 9' are substantially in contact with each other, as shown at l5in Figure 5.

The lower leg forming section l2 of the front panel 5 has a convex or upwardly curved top edge IS, the curvature of which may be substantially the same as that of the bottom edge 13 of the top section 8, although not necessarily. The adjacent lower edge 11 of the intermediate section II may be curved in a manner similar to the upper edge M of the upper intermediate section 9. The adjacent contiguous edges l8 and l9.of the intermediate sections 9 and II, respectively, are oppositely curved, as shown, whereby a gap 2| is formed therebetween at the center of the The edges l3, l4, l8, l9, :1 and 16 of the panelsections 8, 9, II and I2, are cut or formed as shown in Figure 5 for the purpose of eliminating excess fabric in the lap or at the groin line of the wearer when in a stooping or sitting position.

To complete the formation of the front panel 5, the contiguous edges l3 and M of the panels 8 and 9 are stitched together preferably by what is commonly known to the trade as fagotting, shown in Figure 6, or by some other known form of loose stitching suitable for the purpose, and designated by the numeral 35 in the application drawings. In like manner the edges l8 and 19 of sections 9 and H are secured together by similar stitching 36, and the contiguous edges 11 and it of the intermediate section II and leg forming section l2, are secured togetherby similar stitching 31. When the edges l3 and l4, l8 and l9, l6 and I! have been stitched together, as above stated, the gaps or openings 2! and 22, shown in Figure 5, are closed, and the completed front panel'5 then assumes substantially the form shown in Figure 1, wherein the effective length of the panel from its upper edge 23 to the point 24 of the crotch is eifectively reduced in length, because of joining together the transverse edges of the panels 8, 9, H and I2, as above described.

Because of this shortening effect in the vertical length of the front of the panel between the up per edge 23 and crotch 24, the front panel before being embodied in a garment, will not be fiat in the sense that a conventional panel is, but will have a concave effect because of the contraction of the central portion of the panel in a vertical direction as a result of the novel shaping of the transverse edges of the sections 8, 9, II and i2 in the abdominal portionof the panel.

After the front panel 5 has been completed it may be embodied in a garment, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 9 to 12, inclusive, in the usual well known manner. When so embodied in the garment the upright seams 25 and 26 which secure the front panel to the side sections 3 and 4 may tend to buckle slightly as indicated at 28 in Figure 1.

When the garment is fitted onto a wearers body as indicated in Figures 4, and 9 to 12, inelusive, any pulling or looseness which may appear in the vertical seams 25 and 26 when the garment is not being worn, is completely eliminated because when the garment is fitted onto a body, the central portion of the front panel is expanded in a vertical direction, as indicated by the arrows 21 and 28 which causes the abdominal engaging portion of the front panel to snugly hug the abdomen and impartan uplift and f1at-;

tening pressure thereto, asindica'ted by the: as: rows 'in Fig ure 4. InFigure 1'2 it"may also be noted how the front panel closely hugs thenormar-contour of the wearers body and 'impa'rts an uplift to the abdomen.

To afford a clearer explanation of the meritsa-n'd advantages to be-gainedby theme ofthe present invention, there is illustrated in Figures 9' to 1'6; inclusivatwo' garments; one embodying the novel front' panel construction hereindisclos'ed', and' the"other embodying a' front panel of more or less conventional construction.

In -Figure 9, the improved'garment'of thep'res ent-inventionis shown fitted 'ontothe body of awearer standing in an upright or erect position. When' the wearer is so positioned; the frontpanel- 5 is'placedunder tension in a vertical direction because of the garment being anchored 'to the wearers body at 29 and 3|. Such increased-tension'in -the fr'cintpan'eI-S will cause the intermediate panel sections 8 and- H; and the adjacent portions of the upper and lowersections 8 andt2; respectively, to stretch vertically, as indicated by. the arrows in-Figure' 9, whereby said portions of the'composite front panel 5 willexert anuplift and flattening pressure against the abdomen orstomach ofthe wearer, as indicated by the arrows-in Figure 4, which may greatly improve thewearers posture and particularly-the con-tour of the-lower or abdominal portion of her figure. Theloose'form of stitching or fagotting 353 36 and3!" (see Figured), utilized for securing-together the sections-8, 9, H and I2, is desirable inthe construction of the panel inthat such-stitchingservesas hinges to permit the frontpanel to freelyfold across the abdomen whenthe wearers body bends forwardly to a stooping positionas shown in Figure 10, or assumes a sitting position as shownin-Figures 11 and 12.

Thus, upon initial bending of thewearers body at the hips from an erect to a stooping r sitting position, the front panel will fold or hinge along the-intermediate row of stitching 35*which', if located substantially at thegroinline' of the wearers bod-y-,'will be held in contact with the wearers body,-iasshown -inFigme 12-, whereby the central portion of-the front panel above the row of stitching or fagotting' 36' will be drawn against the abdomen at the groin line-as clearly indicated iii-Figure 12, thereby causing the portion of the front panel above' the row of fagotting or stitching 35 to" impart a definite uplift and flattening pressure to the abdomen. It will also be noted by reference to Figures 11 and 12 that no looseness or bulky folds" develop in the-front panel whenthe wearer assumes'a sitting position, and the-transverse folding of the front panel as clear- 13; evidenced in Figure 11, is uniform and'sym mctricalabout the vertical median plane of thewearers body, which is'highly desirable in'a garment of this general type.

It will also be noted that by constructing the abdominal portion of the front panel 5 as herein disclosed, the leg and crotch portions-of the garmenta're not displaced upon the body, but are retainedthereon substantially without any wrinkles or folds developing therein as illustrated 'in Figure'll.

In Figures 13 to 16, inclusive, there is illustrated a garment similar in all respects to the one shown in Figures Ste 12, inclusive, with the exception that its front'panel 32is of the usual conventional flattype. The front panel 3210f the garment shown in Figure 13 isunder a slight'tension when 8V the body is'in an upright or erect position, which] may cause 'said' panel to impart a slight upliftior' flattening pressure to the usual protruding or bulging portion of the wearers abdomen, but

. when thewearer' assumes a sitting positiong all' vertical tension in the front panel 32* vanishes;- whereby said panel m'ay'no' longer provide'a support for the abdomen. Actually, in a garment such as shown in Figures 13 to 16, inclusive, whenthe body of the wearer assumes a sitting position, as indicated in Figures 15 and 16, the slackening of the fabric in the lower'portionof the front panel 32 may cause outwardly directed foldsi'to form therein across the groin line or lap of the wearer, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, which may tend to shove the crotch and leg portions ofi'th'e garment downwardly on the body, whereby relatively large folds or creases may occurinthe leg portions of the garment, as indicat'edat 33in- Figure 15. Futhermore, because of the lack of: any means for controlling the transverse folding of the slackened panel 32, when the body assumes a sitting position, the transverse folding of-the front panel and the adjacent sides of the side: sections of the garment may be vertically un-- symmetrical, as indicated in Figure 15, which is very undesirable and objectionable in a garment of this type, particularly when the outer garments are of a light sheer material which tend to more or lesscling to the wearers body.

Figures 11 and 12 clearly illustrate the-advan tages gained by the use of this invention as'compared with the results obtained with a garment. such as illustrated in Figures 15 and 16. Appli-- cants novel front panel construction gives to the garment the inherent characteristicsofalways providing a definite uplift and flatteningpressure against the lower portion of the'stomach in all positions of the wearers body. In other words, the front panel may be said. to beform fitting in that it always closely hugs the ntire abdomen or stomach of the wearers bodywith sufficient pressure to provide support at all times to the stomach.

The intermediate sections 9 and l l of the front panel 5 are so located or placed as to accom-modate variations of the length of an individuaPs torso. In Figures 9 to 12, inclusive, the central or center row 36 of fagotting, or other stitching is shown located substantially at the groinline 'of the wearers body, whereby the front panel may fold along the line of stitching 36, as indicated in Figure 12, when the body assumes a sitting position. In other cases, the garment may be so positioned on a wearers body, depending on the height thereof, that the front panel may fold transversely across the upper row of fagotting 39, or perhaps across the lower row of fago'ttin i'l; It will thus be noted that regardless of theheightf or width of the wearers body, if the foundation garment is reasonably well fitted theretoathe same desirable results will be obtained in all-cases regardless of the sizes of the bodies of various, individuals.

In Figure 4, it will be noted by the arrows how the front panel 5 imparts a constricting force and uplift to the abdomen. This constricting'zforce and uplift is obtained as a result of-theeffective reduction in the vertical length of the front'panel along the line b'b, shown in Figure 5, andthc' fact that the garment is anchored to the wearer's body as indicated at 29 and 3| in Figures 9 tell.

The construction of the conventional garment: shownin Figures 13 to 16, inclusive, is substantially the same as the garment shown 'in Figures=9 to 12, inclusive, with the exception of the front panel construction. By comparing. the garment of Figure 13 to the improved garment shown in Figure 9, it will be noted that the lower portion of the front panel of the-garment of Figure 13, from the line 11-12 to the crotch, does not exert the constricting force or uplift to the abdomen which is made possible by the unique construction of the front panel shown in Figure 9. In other words, the front lower portion of the front panel 32 does not closely hug the body as shown in Figure 4, but may assume a more or less straight lin from the horizontal line aa to the point adjacent to the crotch.

Because of this inherent lack of fit or tailoring in the lower front portion of the conventional front panel 32, shown in Figures 13 to 16, when a wearers body assumes a stooping position, as shown in Figure 14, and particularly a sitting position as shown in Figures 15 and 16, the slackness produced in the lower portion of the front panel will cause it to bulge outwardly and form a plurality of transverse folds, as indicated in Figures 15 and 16.

The objectionable looseness or folds which are inherent in a conventional garment as above described, are substantially completely eliminated in the novel garment herein disclosed as may be evidenced by a careful inspection of Figures 9 to 12 inclusive. In these. figures it will be noted that the front panel always closely hugs the body regardless of whether the wearer is in a standing, stooping, or sitting position. It will also be noted that the fit of the garment in the crotch is not disturbed, because as the body bends forwardly the increased tension in the front panel in a vertical direction, or along the line b-b, causes the front panel to substantially retain its contact with the wearers body at all times, as clearly indicated in Figure 12, which results in the lower portion of the abdomen always being supported with an uplifting force, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 12, which may greatly improve the appearance of the wearers figure and at the same time completely remove the objectionable feature of unsightly bulkiness, resulting from folds which may develop across the lap or groin line of the wearers body, as herebefore stated.

Figure 3 illustrates substantially the appearance of the garment when removed from the body and looking at it from one side. The socalled removal of fabric from the center portion of the front panel 5, as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 5, is responsible for the front of the garment assuming substantially the concave shape shown in Figure 3, as will be understood.

In Figure 7, the invention is shown embodied in a well known form of foundation garment or girdle of the type which does not employ leg portions such as shown at in Figure 1. The front panel 38 of this garment, it will be noted, is composed of sections 39, 4|, 42, and 43, corresponding to the sections 8, 9, H and I2 of Figure 1. The sections 39, 4|, 42 and 43 are secured together to complete the formation of the front panel by cross seams 35, 36, and 31, similar to those shown in Figure 1, whereby the action of the front panel 38 upon the wearers body is identically the same as that obtained with the corresponding panel 5 in the panty girdle type of garment shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 8 the invention is shown embodied in a combination garment including a brassire 10 portion 44 which is suitably secured to the upper edge of the front panel in any well known manner. The panel 45 is composedof sections 46, 41, 48 and 49, substantially similar to the corresponding sections of the front panel 38 shown in Figure 7. In a garment such as shown in Figure 7, suitable elastics are usually embodied in the upper and lower edges of the garment as indicated by the numerals 5| and 52 foranchoring the garment to the wearers body, as is well known. v I

The lower edge of the garment shown in Figure 8 may be provided at its bottom with a similar elastic, as indicated at 53, the upper portion of this garment being supported upon the body by the usual shoulder straps 54. I

The invention herein disclosed has been found extremely practical and comfortable in actual use. The novel front panel construction 'substantially eliminates the formation of bulky transverse folds in the front of the garment when the wearer assumes a stooping' or sitting-position, and moreover, the construction of the front panel is such that a constricting pressure or uplift is constantly exerted against the lower portion of the abdomen, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 12, whereby'the posture or configuration of the lower portion of the wearers body may be greatly improved in appearance as will be noted by comparing Figures 12 and 16, the latter figure showing the conventional form of front panel construction.

The design and construction of the front panel is also such that it may be manufactured at low cost, as the front panelsections 8, 9, H and I2 may readily be blankedfrom web material in the usual manner, and the fagotting or stitching together of these sections may be quickly accomplished on conventional machinery to complete the formation of the front panel after which its embodiment in the garment is carried on in the usual well known manner. 7

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal objects of my invention, and it will alsobe'apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses andhas advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiments are illustrative only,'and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention: a

1. In a garment of the class described, a body portion constructed of a material capable of yielding to outward pressure of a wearers body, a vertically elastic panel embodied in the front of the garment and extending substantially the full length thereof, said panel comprising upper and lower sections and apair of horizontally disposednarrow intermediate sections, all of said panel sections being loosely stitched together to complete the formation of said front panel, and being so'sized that when said panel is embodied in a garment and the garment is subsequently fitted onto a wearers body, said horizontally disposed narrow panel sections will be so tensioned asto impart a constricting and uplift pressure to wearers abdomen in substantially all positions of the wearers body, and whereby looseness in said panel at the groin line, when the wearer assumes a stooping or sitting position, is also substantially eliminated. 

